Augusto Cantamessa: The Forgotten Italian Photographer Finally Gets His Due

Augusto Cantamessa (Turin, 1927 – Bibiana, 2018), a once-overlooked Italian photographer, is gaining posthumous recognition. Born in Turin, he moved to Campiglione Fenile as a child, where he joined the Società Fotografica Subalpina and later the Associazione Fotografica Italiana and Centro Culturale FIAT. His self-taught style, shaped by art history, focused on landscapes—notably 'Breve Orizzonte' (1955), 'Panni a Burano' (1972), and 'Risaie d’autunno' (1975). In 1957, he received the Artiste de la FIAP (AFIAP) honor from the Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique. His works have been exhibited at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne. In 2018, the FIAF awarded him the title of Maestro della Fotografia Italiana (MFI), alongside Mario De Biasi, Pier Giorgio Branzi, Franco Fontana, and Fulvio Roiter. His archive is promoted by Podbielski Contemporary.